Back and better than ever
by Whispur
Summary: The war has ended, Hermione has left to pursue her career and returnes after nine years. She learns many new things about what she has missed over the years and starts to work with the Weasleys. Romance ensues. M for later Chapters! HG/FW
1. Chapter 1

Life was starting to lighten up considerably for a young bushy haired female named Hermione Granger

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any other characters from the books!

//First Chappy! I hope you enjoy it!//

Life was starting to lighten up considerably for a young bushy haired female named Hermione Granger. It had been a year since the war had ended, slowly but surely everything went back to normal and order returned.

The trio had just finished their last year at Hogwarts and were currently plunging headfirst into what we call 'real life'. Harry had followed his dream to become an auror, while Ron started working in the department of magical games and sports, Hermione started to work at St. Mungos, very closely with a famous witch called Fellen Greeves.

About two years passed, everything went great. The trio still met as often as possible, Harry and Ginny have been dating for over a year now, and so have Ron and Luna. Hermione though, concentrated a little too much on her work than on her own personal life.

It was early in the morning at the hospital when Fellen approached Hermione with a large grin plastered on the older woman's face. "What's going on?" Hermione asked with a hint of curiosity in her voice. She knew that expression; it meant something was going to happen, something out of the ordinary. "Well... I need to ask you a favour." She began and dropped into a chair in front of the cluttered desk. "Go ahead." The brown haired female urged on.

"I will be leaving tomorrow; I have received a few jobs from the ministry, these jobs will take me across the planet, and I am sure I will be gone for a long time." Hermione let out an audible sigh, disappointed about this news. She really didn't want Fellen to leave, they had become more than mere colleagues, it was a rather tight friendship by now. "Wait, I'm not finished." She held up a hand to motion for the girl to stay calm.

"There have been a few discoveries across the planets as of late, new herbs and animals, caves to explore and much more, and it is my job to learn what I can from these things and use them for the good of the world. And Hermione, I would like for you to come with me as my assistant." She finished with a grin, looking at the girl expectantly. Hermione's jaw dropped open, shock was clear in her eyes. "You want me to be your assistant!" She stood up quicker than Fellen had expected, making the woman jump back in surprise. "Wow, Fellen, I don't know what to say, of course I will come." She pulled the other female into a tight embrace.

And that was when Hermione left…..

Nine years had passed. Over the years Hermione had kept contact with her friends via owl, and on a cold December morning, the fourth to be precise, a young bushy haired girl arrived at the front gate of the burrow, looking up at the building she had missed so dearly the last years.

It had seemed ages ago since the last time she carried her luggage up the narrow dirt road leading to the crooked building which was home to none other than the Weasley family. Slowly she made her way up the front porch and pushed the little button located to the right of the door. Moments passed, a few thuds could be heard inside and then the door jumped open revealing a well built redhead who was clearly more than double her own age.

"Oh my god, Hermione!" The woman shrieked and pulled the girl into a tight hug making her drop her bags to the floor. "Come in dear, you must be freezing, it's about time for breakfast, almost everyone's still asleep." The girl stepped into the warm house and immediately started to shed her shawl and coat. "We will take care of your bags later." Mrs. Weasley smiled brightly as she led the way into the kitchen.

"You look amazing dear, would you like some tea?" The woman asked as Hermione took a seat at the already set table filled with many delicious looking meals. It was true; Hermione had changed a lot over the years, especially since Fellen had given her so many beauty tips. Her hair was now a golden brown; it hung down her back in long luscious curls. She wore clothes that fit her perfectly and showed her figure well, and to top it all of she wore just the right amount of makeup.

Mrs. Weasley was about to say something when a shriek filled the kitchen. "Hermione!" A red headed female practically tackled the girl, making the chair swerve and almost fall. "Ginny, it's so nice to see you again. How are you?" The girl grinned. "I'm doing great, as you know me and Harry got married, it's actually a coincidence that I'm here, since we have our own house now." Hermione's smile turned into a frown. "I'm very sorry I couldn't attend your wedding." The other girl waved it off dismissively. "Psh, don't worry about it, your gift was great by the way." The girls ate and talked for a little while until a sleepy Harry entered the kitchen, he seemed to wake up quickly though once he spotted Hermione sitting at the table talking to his wife.

"Am I still dreaming?" He asked with a confused voice. Ginny smiled and padded his arm as he walked over to pull Hermione into a hug. "Why didn't you let us know you were coming?" He asked, also taking a seat at the table. "I wanted to surprise you of course, and who knows, maybe someone could have caught my letter and then this place would be overrun by reporters." The male grinned, knowing exactly how she felt. "That's what happens if you get famous, even if it's just through discoveries and books you've written." She playfully hit his arm and they all started to laugh.

The rest of the morning went by with simple catching up. Harry had told her that Ron was currently in Ireland taking care of a few quidditch arrangements, and everyone else was at their own homes. She was really happy to finally be back home, but she knew the next few days would be a little more than stressful with finding a new job and a place to live, Harry and Ginny had allowed her to stay at the burrow until she found a place.

"You have heard about Fred and George's success, right?" Ginny questioned Hermione. She gave a short nod. "Of course I have, but not much, been too busy." The other girl chuckled lightly and straightened a bit on the couch to give Hermione every juicy detail.

"I am pretty sure you have noticed the many changes around the house, new beds, a new kitchen… well everything is pretty new." Hermione nodded again, she had wondered about that before, but she couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation. "Well, all these new things came from Fred and George, they have become quite wealthy, but they seem to put their money more into friends, family and their business rather than themselves. I am really glad they haven't turned into snobs." She grinned at the thought and took a cookie from a plate her mum had set on the table.

"Wow, what else have they done? I am pretty sure they have widely expanded their network." She mused lightly as she remembered the various pranks the twins had played back at Hogwarts. "Oh, of course they have, they actually have created a world-wide business, its fascinating really, who would have thought that they'd be so successful. Their main store is of course still in London, you should really go check it out, they have joined together with other companies and created a large shopping mall, like the humans have, just with the typical magic we know." Hermione was stunned at this news; she really hadn't thought they would expand so much.

"Where's this shopping mall at?" She questioned, already planning to visit the next day. "How about we go there tomorrow, we can meet with Fred and George, I think they would be happy to see you again too." She smiled and Hermione agreed. So they were going to Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes Central tomorrow.

The next morning Hermione woke up and took a quick shower. Once she was done she met up with Hermione in front of the chimney where they were to floo to WWWC. Ginny whistled once she saw Hermione and grinned. "You look great." She laughed and took a handful of floo powder.

Hermione looked down at herself shortly. She was wearing a tight navy coloured pair of jeans tucked into black high heeled boots reaching just below her knees, along with a v-cut sweater she also wore a silver necklace decorated with pearls and a silvery-black shawl around her neck.

She also took a hand full of floo powder and together they called "Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes Central!" And within a few seconds they were engulfed in green flames and disappeared from the living room.

It seemed like moments until they popped out of the fireplace into a long white hall. Everything seemed to be made out of white marble. Doorframes, windows and other decorations were all golden coloured and gleamed in the sunlight than shone into the glass ceiling above.

Many other witches and wizards came and went through the fireplaces as well, crowding the hall and thus blocking the view ahead. With some difficulty the girls made their way through the crowd and emerged into an even larger hall which looked very similar to a shopping mall for rich people, with all its gold and whites, elevators and escalators. Long red carpets drew from what seemed to be the sixth floor all the way to the second, large golden letters displayed WWWC spelled out. "Wow, this place is amazing." Together they walked through the mall, occasionally dropping into a store to buy something.

The mall had everything, clothing stores such as 'The magical Needle', a broom store, book stores, various plant, pet and magical artefact stores, potion stores, diners, and many, many more. It took hours until they combed through all the stores and reached the top, standing in front of a large golden door which had neither door handle nor keyhole.

Hermione frowned. "Where does this door lead?" She asked, but Ginny didn't answer, instead she took out her wand and tapped on the door three times until it suddenly swung open, revealing a set of dark oaken stairs leading upwards. "Come and see." She grinned and walked up the steps, behind them the door closed.

As they reached the top Hermione gasped, they had walked straight into a well sized apartment, showing a wide view of London. She noted that the entire mall had been enchanted just like Grimmauld place, since it seemed like the large building stood in the centre of a city, even though she knew that muggles couldn't enter it.

"Ginny dearest sister, and … whoa, who is that?" A tall, well built redhead entered the room and looked absolutely baffled as he stared down Hermione. "What, you don't recognize me George?" She questioned the bewildered man. The male crept closer, encircling both females with a thoughtful gaze placed on his handsome features. "Do I know you, and how did you know I was George?" He questioned, and Ginny laughed. "She was always the only one to hold you two apart." George looked confused for a moment but then it looked like he was struck by lightning and his jaw dropped.

"Oh my good Merlin." He whispered and pulled Hermione into a hug. "You have certainly changed. Oy Fred, Hermione and Ginny have dropped in for a visit." You could hear a faint rustle from a nearby room and another redhead burst into view, a wide grin plastered on his face, but as soon as he spotted the girl next to Ginny he stopped dead in his tracks. "Is that really Hermione?" She grinned at his and his ears turned scarlet. 'Yes, it really is, I could never forget that smile.' He ran over to her and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Wow, I really didn't expect to see you here." Just as Hermione was about to say something back Ginny's cell phone rang, she answered it, repeating a few 'uh-huhs' and 'oks'. As soon as she hung up she smiled sadly at Hermione. "Sorry, I have to go, I bet you can find your own way back, you guys can catch up." With that she was gone with a sudden pop.

Hermione looked stunned and turned to the twins, they both grinned at her and she didn't know if shed want to be able to read their minds at the moment or not.


	2. Chapter 2

Chappy 2:

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any characters in the book.

Chappy 2:

„So Hermione how does it feel to be back? " George questioned as they dropped onto the couch. "Well, I certainly didn't expect this." She indicated at her surroundings with a smile. "Its fascinating, you've really gotten far." She grinned, and so did the twins.

"Well, we aren't doing very well lately, our manager quit." Fred looked down at his hands with a light frown. "That's awful, why'd he quit?" She asked a little surprised. "It was a she, and she was mad at me for getting a girlfriend." His smirk made Hermione laugh. "Why don't you just hire someone else then?" The twins looked at each other with a grin and stood.

"Wait just one moment Hermione." They both left the room, moments later they returned with a yellow envelope and handed it to Hermione. "We were going to send you this tomorrow." They said, urging her to read the letter.

She opened the envelope and Red the letter out loud:

**Dearest Hermione,**

**we hope you are doing alright, unfortunately we aren't ourselves. You might or might not have heard about our success and how much our business has grown, but we are kind of stuck in a hole right now, and with this letter we want to ask for your help.**

**We want you to come and work with us, and when we say that, we don't mean work under us, but you will be the manager of the company, along with us two of course. We do a lot with international affairs, and we know with your brains and experience you would be a big asset to our business.**

**Please do think about it, we miss you dearly.**

**Best wishes.**

**Yours truly,**

**Fred & George Weasley**

She finished reading the letter and looked up at the twins in shock. "You want me to run the company with you?" She questioned disbelievingly. "Yes, we do." George said curtly. "We really need you." Hermione couldn't help but smile.

"Well, I don't know." Suddenly the twins dropped to their knees in front of her and held their hands as if to pray. "Please Hermione, you're our only hope." They begged. "Alright, alright, I accept." They jumped her and pulled her into a tight hug. "Thank you Hermione! Of course we have already set up your room and office." They grinned at her and pulled her up, leading her down a hall and through a door located on the right.

"This is your room, we hope you like it." She gasped as she looked around. The room's walls were a deep plum colour, so were a few decorations and the sheets on the large double sized bed. To her left were two doors, one was a large bathroom with bathtub, toilet, sink and shower, the other a walk in closet. The rest of the interior was a rich cherry wood colour.

"Wow, this is amazing, you would really let me live here?" She asked turning to them with a bright smile. "Of course, we've arranged everything." They had a satisfied grin placed on their lips as Hermione jumped them as they had before.

Later that day Hermione had unpacked all her stuff and was currently taking a look at her new office, it was very similar to her room, colour wise, but other than that it looked very organized and professional.

Fred and George had gone to let their mom know about their new manager, she had also written Ginny and Harry in the meantime and of course her own parents. She couldn't believe how everything was falling into place, what a coincidence.

"Hermione, you in there?" She heard a familiar voice call as the door opened. "Oh, Fred, I thought you were at your mothers." He smirked. "Yes, I was, George went to Valerie's house, so I came back home. Say, Hermione, how about I show you around some more, you still haven't seen where we create all our products." Interest sparked in the girl's eyes and she nodded vigorously. "Oh yes, I want to see everything." Together they left Hermione's office and made their way to the buildings basement.

"I've never seen a basement this big." She walked down the long hall, looking at all the many shelves and machines; it looked like an entire factory had been fit under the WWWC building. "This all must have cost a fortune. Oh, what's this?" She asked, staring down into a large cauldron filled with steaming thick purple liquid. "Its one of our new products fillings, very tasty, but you will learn about all the products later, I want to show you the test area." Hermione blushed at how close he got as he leaned over her shoulder almost standing as if to whisper in her ea, before he noticed though he took off down one of the isles, heading straight through a set of large double doors.

"We like to call this room the boiler room, I really can't explain why though." They entered a long narrow hallway, to both right and left were many rooms, all separated from the hall by large glass windows. The rooms were painted yellow and within each room was a man or woman.

Hermione gasped at the sight, turning towards Fred in confusion. "Oh no, don't worry, their not real, just one of our products, kind of like muggle robots, just hallucinations, but they are perfect for testing our products since they react like a real human would.

"Wow, that's clever, it sounds like powerful magic had to be used for this then." He nodded in agreement. "Yes, it took us a couple times to create the forget-me-nots."

"Forget-me-not, what's that?" She asked, watching one of the males pop an olive coloured candy into his mouth, shortly after broccoli started sprouting from his ears. "That's what they were meant to do, they were for people who had lost someone, and we would create the ideal second of what the person used to look like." Hermione mused at this, thinking it to be quite thoughtful.

"I really can't believe she's here, after all these years, and not only working with us, but living with us too!" Fred was pacing around his bedroom, his brother George was lying on his bed grinning madly. "Calm down dear brother, I know your excited, but I thought those feelings died away a while ago." Fred quickly shook his head. "Hah, I could never get rid of those feelings." He let out a deep sigh, thinking about Hermione, and the way she had been back in school, even if he hadn't shown it he was very fond of her, very fond indeed.

"It's been three months now, you should have gotten used to her being here already, it's not like she came this morning." Fred stopped for a moment, laughing at how he was acting. "She just makes me crazy, and she doesn't even know." George stood up and walked over to his brother, setting a hand on his shoulder. "Just tell her, invite her for dinner or something." Fred's face brightened considerably. "Your right, I'm going to invite her to dinner tonight." He grinned and left the room leaving George behind.

"I have something I want to ask you?" Fred stood in front of her desk, watching as Hermione shuffled through a few papers. "Go ahead." She nodded at him with a smile. "Well, I wanted to ask if you wanted to go out to dinner tonight." She let out a laugh, making Fred feel a little embarrassed. "We go out every other night."

"Oh, no I didn't mean it like that, not with George, just the two of us." Hermione looked confused. "Is George sick?" She asked, Fred had to laugh at her concerned expression. "No, he's perfectly alright, I was thinking more like a date."

Hermione blushed a deep crimson. "A date, with me, is this a joke?" He shook his head in response. "Well, I guess we could, I don't have any other plans." A big smile spread over Fred's features and he made to leave her office. "I will pick you up at eight, dress a little more formal." With that he left leaving a stunned Hermione in his wake, the second person of the day. "A date with Fred Weasley." She whispered to herself.


End file.
